Not a little girl anymore
by AlexaLj
Summary: 5 years ago Richard B Riddick left a heartbroken 12 year old girl, now he's back and she's no little girl anymore.
1. Riddick's back

He was right in front of her, watching her, waiting. She didnt know whether to laugh or cry or kick his ass.

_Hey little girl im back _he thought to himself. He looked her up and down _damn not a little girl anymore._

She turned and started to walk away, he jumped up and grabbed her arm, she turned and punched him right in the jaw. His head spun and he was knocked to the ground. If he wasnt so shocked he would've hit her back.

He pulled himself up and stood there staring_ damn it, the girls got a hell of a right hook_. He thought as he watched her walk back up the stairs, he could taste blood_, shit_.

He went after her.

She was sat on her bed looking at her fist, she hit him, she couldnt believe she'd hit him. It felt good but at the same time she felt guilty. She had missed him so much but she also hated him so much for leaving her.

There was a soft knock on the door "Jack" he called, there was no answer. "Jack, come on. Im sorry" She laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She heard him slide down the door and sit.

"I missed you" he called "God i missed you, Jack?" he asked waiting for a reply. "Forgive me." he said.

The door opened suddenly and he fell backwards, it was all she could do not to laugh. He pulled himself up.

"Forgive you, how can i forgive you Riddick?" She walked back into the room.

"Come on Jack, i came back didn't i"

"Thats not the point Riddick" she growled. He moved further into the room, closer to her. She put up her hand.  
"You come any closer Riddick, im gonna....i'll....i don't know what i'll do, just keep away from me." she warned. All of a sudden there were footsteps outside that stopped in front of the door. Riddick moved and opened the door and a little girl ran in towards Jack.

"Whats the matter baby girl" she picked the little girl up onto her lap.

Riddick looked a her as if to say_ who's the kid? _The little girl hid her face in Jacks long curly chestnut hair.

"Ziza sweety, whats wrong?"

"Monsters" she whispered

"It was just a bad dream Ziza, it's ok."

Ziza looked up.

"The monsters not gonna get me?" she asked.

"No sweety, there's no monsters. Lets get you back to bed"

Ziza looked towards Riddick, he'd taken his goggles off to get a better look at Jack. The girl gasped and clung onto jack.

"It's ok Ziza, he wont hurt you," she assured her. The girl was intrigued.

"Are you Riddick?" she asked him

"Yeah kid im Riddick" he answered. She climed off Jacks lap and moved towards him.

"You came back" she said moving even closer

"Yeah"

"You hurt my sister real bad you know, she said you were a fu..." Riddick chuckled as Jack cut her off.

"Ziza!" Jack almost yelled "Time for bed" she scooped the girl up.

"Did you come back to make Jack feel better?" she asked, Jack paused.

"Yeah kid, i missed her." he replied.

Jack took Ziza back to her room. She put her in her bed and pulled the covers over her.

"will he be here tomorrow?" she asked

"I don't know, goodnight ziza" she kissed her on the forehead and got up.

"Goodnight Jack" she whispered.

Riddick was at the door.

"Cute kid" he said.

She glared at him and walked past tuning off the light as she went.

"Jack, come on, how many times do i need to say im sorry?" he asked as he followed her downstairs.

"Maybe just once more Riddick" she shouted throwing her arms up in despair, "Do you not get it Riddick? Sorry is not gonna cut it.?"

"Then what will Jack? tell me cos i just don't know what to do, do you even realise how hard it is for me to say sorry, it's pretty damn fucking hard Jack. I could have been doing something else right now, but im not, im here wasting my time apologising to you because for some fucked up reason i missed you, ok , i missed you Jack" he stopped for air, she just looked at him.

"What do you want me to do Riddick? forgive you just like that and forget it never happened? is that it?"

"Yeah Jack it is."

"Well i can't" she yelled, "i cant forget what you put me through."

"Oh i didn't put you through anything"

"Yes you did, and don't you dare try and fucking deny it. When you left Riddick, mercs had no idea where to look for you next so where do you think they went Riddick, who was the last one to see you, Me thats who. They came and they hurt me so much but i couldn't tell them where you were, so they hurt me even more. I hated you then Riddick, what makes you think i'll ever stop hating you?" she stopped breathless.

He stood there looking at her, not knowing what to say. They stood there in silence.

He looked at her "Im sorry Ja...." he was cut off.

"You know what Riddick, i just want to, i just.... i just wanna go back to bed" she went to walk back upstairs, he grabbed her arm.

"Im sorry, Jack"

"Don't Riddick." she whispered, she was tired and couldn't be bothered to argue anymore. She went back to her room. She went to a draw and pulled out a blanket, she reached over and grabbed one of her pillows and handed them to him. He looked at her as if to say _what are these for?_ she pointed at the door, "Just go sleep on the couch, or wherever."

"Goodnight Jack." he said as he turned and went downstairs

Jack laid back in her bed trying to think about what she was going to do about Riddick but failed miserably, she fell fast asleep still thinking about him.


	2. Breakfast

The next morning, Jack awoke suddenly, trying to remember the dream she had, had that night. She lay there in thought when she heard a noise downstairs, footsteps. She made to get up when she remembered Riddick was down there.

She pulled herself out of bed and into the bathroom. She washed herself and put on a pair of black combats and a top and made her way downstairs.

She found Riddick in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. He heard her come in.

"Good morning, how'd you sleep?" he asked

"Wha...what are you doing?"

"What does it look like im doing?" he replied.

"You want breakfast?" he looked up at her.

She just looked back at him and sighed. She turned around and went to wake Ziza up, leaving him to it.

"Ziza, honey, time to wake up, you've got school today." she called

Ziza had rolled over and was pretending to be asleep when Jack walked in. She walked over to the bed and leaned over her.

"Come on Baby girl, your breakfast'll be going cold."

"Whats for breakfast?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask the cook" Jack replied

"Riddicks still here?" she shot up smiling.

"He might be if you can get washed and dressed in time." Jack said. The little girl dashed out of bed and into the bathroom. Jack watched her go and remembered how excited she used to get when Riddick returned from one of his _jobs, _but right now she didn't know what to do, she couldn't just forgive him no matter how much she wanted to.

She was sat there in thought when Ziza walked back in.

"Jack are you ok?" she asked. Jack just looked at her. "Jack?" Ziza asked.

"Um, yeah, im fine Ziza. Are you done?" Jack asked.

"Yep"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" she laughed

"Brushed your teeth?" Jack questioned.

Ziza nodded

"Hair?"

She nodded again

"Washed your face?"

"Yes she giggled

"Ok, time for breakfast, race you downstairs" Jack replied.

Ziza ran with Jack not far behind her.

"No she's gonna beat me" Jack laughed as they reached the kitchen. Ziza laughed.

"Ahh man, beaten by a four year old." she pretended to be upset.

Ziza walked up to her and reached up for Jack to pick her up, she lifted her into her arms.

"Don't worry, maybe next time." Ziza laughed and wriggled to be put down.

"Cheeky" Jack smiled and sat Ziza on a chair.

Meanwhile Riddick had been stood watching with a smirk on his face. Jack looked up.

"What are you smirking at?" she folded her arms.

"Nothing" he replied, turning back to making breakfast.

"Whats for breakfast Mr Riddick?" Ziza asked

"Depends what you want, i got some toast, bacon, eggs..." he replied.

Jack sighed and left the room. Ziza and Riddick just looked at each other.

"So your Imam's daughter?" Ziza nodded "How old are you?" he asked

"4" she said "I'll be 5 next month" she told him. "Will you still be here?" she asked.

"I don't know kid, it depends on your sister" he looked towards the door.


	3. Forgiveness

Jack was sat in her bedroom with her head in her hands. She had no idea what to do, _shit,_ she thought to herself and sighed. She had to get Ziza to school. She got up and headed for the kitchen.

"She'll let you stay" she heard Ziza say as she got near the kitchen.

"She loves you really, but you hurt her bad. If it was me i would've kicked your butt into next week." she told Riddick, who couldn't help but laugh.

"Give me time Ziza" Jack said as she walked in. "Come on time for school, up you get."

"Oh, but Jack"

"No but's Ziza, school."

"Will you still be here when i come home?" Ziza asked Riddick.

He looked at Jack who turned away, she started to make Ziza's lunch, Riddick sighed and walked out of the room.

Jack finished Ziza's lunch.

"Right, come on, time for school" she turned to Ziza.

"No" the little girl replied sternly.

"Ziza, i won't do this with you, your going to school, right now"

"I want Mr Riddick to take me" she said.

"Ziza, no" the little girl went to say something "No buts Ziza, now go and get your coat on"

"**NO**" she yelled and ran to the living room where Riddick was sitting in the chair in the corner. He looked up when Ziza came in, Jack not far behind.

"Ziza" Jack said

"**NO**" the little girl yelled again. "I want Riddick to take me" she shouted at Jack. "Why are you so horrible to him? why can't you be nice?" she looked like she was going to cry.

"Ziza sweety" Jack bent to her level "You'll understand when you're older baby, remember your mummy and daddy?" Ziza nodded.

"They had fights and it always turned out right didn't it" Ziza nodded again.

"But sometimes grown ups can't fix what they broke and things don't always turn out right, it's just something that happens when one grown up does something horrible and others find it hard to forgive them"

"You and Riddick?" Ziza said

"Yeah" Jack smiled the girl was very clever for her age.

"But daddy always said that you should forgive people no matter what because its the right thing to do"

"I know and maybe one day i will forgive and forget, but right now i need you to go to school so that me and Riddick can talk and try to forgive, ok" she explained to Ziza.

"Ok" Ziza said.

"Ok" Jack stood up "Come on" Ziza took Jacks hand.

"Jack" Riddick piped up, he had listened to everything she had said.

"We'll talk when i get back" she turned and left with Ziza.


	4. Conversation

45 minutes later Jack came home.

Riddick looked up when she walked in the room; she just stood in the doorway looking at him. There was a long silence with them looking at each other before Riddick piped up.

"We need to talk Jack"

"There's nothing to say" she replied and walked back into the kitchen. He followed.

"There is a lot to say Jack" she spun round to look at him.

"What Riddick, what is there to say? I can't forgive you!" she yelled.

"I don't expect you to, not yet"

"What makes you think i ever will?" she asked.

Riddick didn't answer, there was another long silence.

"Why did you leave?" Jack asked after a while

"I had to." He said.

"No don't give me that Riddick, you know full fucking well that you didn't have to do anything." She shouted. "The mercs were gone, they had no idea where we were, where you were, so why'd you leave?"

Riddick glared at her, he didn't say anything.

There was a long silence.

"Well?" Jack threw her arms up in despair.

"This isn't the way i could've lived Jack" he shouted "The same place, the same job, the same everything, stuck in one place, it's not what i do" he growled.

"What about me?" she asked not looking at him.

"You could've taken me with you."

"No" he said suddenly. She looked up at him, anger in her eyes.

"I did what was best for you Jack, what kind of life would you have had with me, on the run, trying to stay alive?"

"I wanted to stay with you, you were the only one who understood what i went through Riddick and you left me, you left me all alone." She was on the verge of tears.

"You got what i couldn't give you, an education, a home, a family, a normal life." He shouted.

"I didn't want a normal life." She shouted back.

"You had a chance at a good life and now look at you, your an amazing beautiful woman who's made something of her life. You're a big sister, you've got responsibilities, a stable life."

"Nothing's ever stable Riddick, i had a stable life when imam was here and so did that little girl but now he's gone and i may look like im coping but im not Riddick, im falling apart, when you left Imam was the only one keeping me going and now he's not here anymore and i don't know how much longer i can keep this up" she was crying now.

Riddick moved towards her, putting his hands on her upper arms, she fell into his chest and held onto his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, she fit nicely under his chin. They stayed like that for a while.

Eventually Riddick moved to sit Jack down at the table and sat facing her.

"I know you hate me for leaving but i did what i thought was right Jack, what was best." He paused and looked down, it was so hard for him to say things like this.

"But you gotta stop hating me, it wasn't like i wanted to leave you, your like my little sister, i thought about you every day, worrying about you. I care about you whether you want me too or not." He looked at her, she just shook her head there were tears in her eyes. He sighed, got up and walked out.


	5. They're Back

It took Jack a while to pull herself back together and stop crying over him. She decided to take a shower before having to pick Ziza up from nursery school. She was usually able to think more clearly when she felt clean and relaxed but this time it wasn't helping.

"Fuck" She growled slamming her hands into the shower wall. She gave up and got out. Dried and put on her clothes.

Suddenly the phone rang; Jack went to pick it up.

"Hello" she answered.

"Is that Ziza's guardian?" the person on the other end.

"Speaking is there a problem?" she asked.

"Yes, two men came in the nursery looking for Ziza."

"What do you mean looking for Ziza?" Jack questioned

"Well, they were asking questions. Wanting to know where she lived and who she lived with." She replied.

"What did you tell them?" she nearly shouted.

"We didn't give them any information and they left a message." The woman paused.

"What was it?" Jack was now shouting.

"They said you'd understand, they said they know he's here and they'll find you."

Jack froze, they'd found Riddick

"Miss is everything ok, shall i call the police?"

"No, no don't bother. I'm coming for Ziza right now. Have her ready for me." Jack snapped.

"Of course." The woman managed before Jack slammed the phone down.

"Fuck" she grabbed her keys and practically legged it to the school.

The receptionist was just handing Ziza her lunch bag when Jack arrived.

"Thank you." She acknowledged the receptionist.

"We gotta go Ziza. Come on." Jack grabbed the little girls hand and left before the receptionist could say anything.

"What's wrong Jack?" the little girl was confused.

Whilst dragging her back to the house Jack explained in a way Ziza would understand and not be too afraid.

"There are some bad men who want us to tell them something very important that they must never know and we need to leave for a while until they forget and go home."

"Like a holiday?" Ziza asked.

"Yeah like a holiday baby." She smiled down at Ziza.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise" She told her as they reached the house. Jack got Ziza inside as quick as she could.

As soon as she got inside she knew Riddick was there.

"Is this what you call keeping me safe Riddick?" she called out "You might as well put up a sign post at the front door telling them where you are!" she yelled.

"Ziza go upstairs and pack a bag honey." She urged.

Riddick had just shown himself at the doorway to the living room.

"I didn't know they'd find me so fast, if id have known i wouldn't have put you and Ziza in danger" he said

"Yeah well it's too late for that now isn't it, how could you not know they were following you? You're Riddick for crying out loud its what you do best," she yelled. "What am i gonna do, I've got that little girl up there Riddick."

"Im not gonna let them hurt you Jack, either of you. Ill get rid of them" he growled at her.

"They were at her school Riddick, they nearly had her, i dont know what id have done if theyd have got her, i promised id keep her safe."

"And your gonna keep your promise Jack, do you have anyone to stay with for a few nights?" he asked her.

She sighed "yeah i can stay with lizzy for a few nights


End file.
